Japanese A-Bomb (Was Af/Pak & Other News (8/6/2019))

[Byker]

What If, in World War II, Japan Got the Atomic Bomb First? A
controversial book
about Japan’s race to build an atomic weapon in 1945 is published there
for the
first time. It also raises questions about how North Korea finally got a
https://www.thedailybeast.com/in-world-war-ii-what-if-japan-got-the-atomic-bomb-first?ref=home

"After the war ended, intelligence officials learned that the Japanese
military,
just prior to their surrender, had actually developed and successfully
test-
fired an atomic device. The project had been housed in or near Konan (the
Japanese name for Hungnam), on the coast in the northern part of the
peninsula.
To make matters worse, by the end of 1945 the Soviets—who did not yet have
an
atomic bomb—had occupied much of Korea north of the 38th parallel and the
plant
where the Japanese atom bomb had been developed was under their control."
Sounds like BS, anyone out there know more about the Japanese A-Bomb
program?

From all I've heard, it never got far beyond the drawing board:

https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-japan-bomb-20150805-story.html

https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/new-documents-found-pointing-to-japanese-atomic-bomb-pr-1722338915

[SolomonW]

Post by Byker

What If, in World War II, Japan Got the Atomic Bomb First? A
controversial book
about Japan’s race to build an atomic weapon in 1945 is published there
for the
first time. It also raises questions about how North Korea finally got a
https://www.thedailybeast.com/in-world-war-ii-what-if-japan-got-the-atomic-bomb-first?ref=home

"After the war ended, intelligence officials learned that the Japanese
military,
just prior to their surrender, had actually developed and successfully
test-
fired an atomic device. The project had been housed in or near Konan (the
Japanese name for Hungnam), on the coast in the northern part of the
peninsula.
To make matters worse, by the end of 1945 the Soviets—who did not yet have
an
atomic bomb—had occupied much of Korea north of the 38th parallel and the
plant
where the Japanese atom bomb had been developed was under their control."
Sounds like BS, anyone out there know more about the Japanese A-Bomb
program?

https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-japan-bomb-20150805-story.html
https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/new-documents-found-pointing-to-japanese-atomic-bomb-pr-1722338915

There is nothing new here.

[a425couple]

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[Rich Rostrom]

"After the war ended, intelligence officials learned that the Japanese
military, just prior to their surrender, had actually developed and successfully
test-fired an atomic device."
Sounds like BS, anyone out there know more about the Japanese A-Bomb
program?

Quite so. The US built the Bomb, but it took enormous industrial
resources which Japan didn't have, plus an array of geniuses in
the field: Fermi, Szilard, von Neumann, many others. We had the
best in the US, plus a large contingent from Britain. _And_ experts
who had defected from Axis countries: notably Fermi, of course,
but also for instance Klaus Fuchs. (Fuchs was a Communist spy, but
it was later noted that "compartmentalization" would not have kept
him from the most important secrets, because he would have been in
the most important "compartment" due to his brilliance.) Japan had
a few bright chaps, but nothing like this.

The article suggests that the Japanese facility was looted by the
Soviets, which is nonsense. If the Soviets captured a plant where
Japan had built a working Bomb, why did it take them three years to
build another Bomb? Why was there _nothing_ in the records of the
Soviet Bomb project, or in the recollections of those who worked
on it, about information gained from Japan? (And a great deal of
information about the Soviet project has been disclosed.)

No, it's just lurid "fake history".

[The Horny Goat]

Post by Byker

Sounds like BS, anyone out there know more about the Japanese A-Bomb
program?

https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-japan-bomb-20150805-story.html
https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/new-documents-found-pointing-to-japanese-atomic-bomb-pr-1722338915

Several countries had worked out the science of an atomic bomb by 1945
(Just for starters for the Allies: USA, UK, Canada - yes!, USSR and
Germany and Italy for the Axis so Japan wouldn't particularly surprise
me as Japanese physicists knew immediately what had been dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagaski) but the actual engineering of a manufacturing
base was something nobody but the US was able to achieve during the
war which is why the US Manhattan project included plenty of Brits and
Canadians - including the first ever person to die of the radiation of
a near critical mass. His apologists claim his sacrifice of his life
prevented either a nuclear explosion or meltdown. Myself I'm not so
sure but what seems clear is the near chain reaction he prevented
generated lethal amounts of radiation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Slotin

[Rich Rostrom]

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